Abstract
People tend to behave more cooperatively with in-group members than out-group members, even in minimal group situations. This study investigated the relationship between trait reputational concern (fear of negative evaluation) from in-group members and in-group favoritism in minimal group contexts. A total of 176 participants completed hypothetical prisoner’s dilemma games; when reputation was at stake, in-group favoritism was significantly associated with trait negative reputational concern. In this context, greater concerns about reputation from in-group members resulted in stronger in-group favoritism. By contrast, in-group favoritism under anonymity was not related to trait reputational concern. We also measured fear of negative reputation from others, finding that in-group favoritism was correlated with both trait reputational concern from in-group members and others in general as long as reputation was at stake.
Highlights
People tend to behave more cooperatively with members of groups to which they belong than with members of other groups (e.g., Sumner, 1906)
This study developed an in-group fear of negative evaluation (FNE) scale to measure the degree to which individuals are concerned about their reputation among in-group members, providing a way to reexamine the relationship between trait reputational concern and in-group favoritism
This study examined the relationship between in-group favoritism in minimal groups and trait reputational concerns by collecting survey data and implementing prisoner’s dilemma games
Summary
People tend to behave more cooperatively with members of groups to which they belong (in-groups) than with members of other groups (out-groups) (e.g., Sumner, 1906). While there are various theories about the mechanisms behind ingroup favoring behaviors in the minimal group context, the bounded generalized reciprocity (BGR) model (e.g., Yamagishi et al, 1999) is known to robustly explain ingroup favoritism, especially in regard to costly cooperative behavior (Balliet et al, 2014). One possible explanation for the evolution of human altruism toward strangers is found in indirect reciprocity theory, which posits that altruism can be adaptive when individuals who behave altruistically positively improve their reputation, receiving altruism from other individuals they may or may not know (e.g., Nowak & Sigmund, 1998). BGR suggests that a person should display in-group favoritism when their reputation is at stake (e.g., Mifune et al, 2010)
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